Model review: DANCING WINGS HOBBY - Eagle II 1430mm

About

So i have $35 dollar in my budget to purchase for my own Christmas gift which is 2 weeks away before Christmas day. I know its a frugal amount but that's what i have at best because Covid-19 season make me wise with my spending. Unfortunately upon searching online nothing worthy to be called a good R/C kit for something around USD$35 other than just buying spare parts.  Back in circa year 2010 a USD$35 budget could get me a nice looking small plane such as a P-51D Mustang,  an SBACH aerobatic plane, nice looking mini Piper Cub, a mini glider kit or 2x units of 450 size helicopter kit.  10 years later price hike killing everyone because R/C hobby is consider as luxury activity.  As you all know between 2001 to 2012 china manufacturing was at competitive peak trying to offer best bang for buck products since country joined WTO making R/C models goods more affordable....yup! globalization! As usual lots of clones and rebranding R/C products flood the market too giving us so many choice of cheap stuff.  Luckily i manage to grab tonnes of cool R/C models especially planes before the price apocalypse becomes unbearable for the wallet to cover. Year 2010 till year 2015 was a good year for hobbyist on the budget. Only by the year 2017 somewhere China manufacturing started to mature and produce quality stuff then it started to ramp the price up, that was the time i started to slow down my purchases and had enough. Man my plastic card was rock bottom back in the old days, lol....i was young and stupid back then.  So right now even parting $10 from my wallet is unbearable, you can say i value my money more on 'useful' stuff like putting food on the table than for leisure.  So i guess spending $35 was justify since that year (2020) i haven't been spending anything serious for my hobby and build many DIY project through recycling......oh wait i did spent $50 on that microscopic size R/C cars (1:76 scale Turbo Racing).  That's ok that was just 1x purchase of complete RTR model per-year, second one for Christmas won't hurt me since its a special occasion.

Browsing at Banggood.com website and comparing prices that match my budget i've finally decided to pick up DANCING WINGS HOBBY (DW Hobby) EAGLE II as kit package with 1430mm wingspan version without electronics.  The decision to pickup the Eagle not only because its cheap but also based on review on Youtube videos it looks fun and very exhilarating in its unique way of flying especially around birds....its all about flying the bird!  Yeah! that's it! i need to experience new side of things.  Total up with shipping and freight delivery insurance it costs extra around $3 which is ok for me to spill extra fund for it.   FYI, DW HOBBY releases two version of the kit; the one i purchase is at 1430mm wingspan and another one was at 1200mm wingspan.  I opt for bigger ones because based on my experience larger wings tolerate better in windy condition and more docile when flying unlike smaller size which is twitchy.  Also 1430mm version could carry my existing 3s 2200mah lipo battery which i have abundant for my other flight models.

The Eagle kit exist since year 2014, i first spotted a familiar Eagle model at Hobby King website but priced at around $70 which is quite expensive for an EPP plane.  For $70 back then i could buy a a nice looking scaled Warbirds and EDF jets such as the rebranded Art-Tech P-51D Mustang , Pitts Special, F-18 Hornet and other cool looking plane....for me flying a 'polygonal' bird replica was a  joke around the airfield.  Other similar 'animal' thing sold back then was a flying EDF powered shark... no kidding!...regret i sold it because by today it looks cooler.  The Eagle was went through lots of changes and improvement over the years. Most notable changes was the coloring pattern of the fuselage to match actual Eagle scheme, support for aileron servo instead of using just V-tail configuration and better motor mount structure.  Overall improvement leads to renaming the models as EAGLE II hence Version 2 today. Fast forward to year 2021 the model build quality has improved and the price has lowered to much affordable level for everyone to enjoy with proper manual book.  As for me flying scale models almost makes me feel bored and stale...yes! the 'been there done that' thing. Acquiring the Eagle should give me new leash of interest and fascination to my flight hobby.

Unfortunately my personal 'Christmas' present doesn't arrived in time for 2020 Christmas eve but it took weeks longer passes New Year 2021 to reach my home. 3 days after new year i finally got my flying awesomeness!..so this is my first 2021 present!  FYI i haven't been purchasing any plane for 2 years now so this justify my rights to enjoy it!  For the electronics i just recycled  back what i have from my parts bin to save up costs.   Coincidently the arrival of my Eagle kit was at perfect timing because by the time it reached at my hand i've started to enjoy my remaining holiday leave from the office which i haven't used it from year 2020 because as you all know COVID-19 lockdown meant just stuck and work at home...not much worthy of taking vacation.   So i've enjoyed  good a full week of holiday build and maiden the EAGLE II.

 
Kit specification: (as describe by vendor/manufacturer)
Brand name: DANCING WINGS HOBBY
Model name: Eagle II (Version 2)
Release date: Approximately 2014 (Version 1)

Quality and builds

The DW HOBBY - EAGLE II package is light and armed sized, quite unexpected parcel size considering its a 1430mm kit. Unboxing it revealed an EPP foam (Expanded Polypropylene) kit, template of laser cut balsa, small parts for surface control including carbon push rods, carbon spars,  propeller, screws/bolts, rubber bands, velcro stickies for battery and colored manual.  I supplied my own electronics parts such as servos, ESC, brushless motor, battery, radio tx and rx.  Most important thing was to supply are tubes of super glue, sharp pen knife and screw driver for the kit assembly.  Since the eagle kit are are made of from EPP and Balsa wood as skeletal reinforcement the choice of glue i use is super glue which contain 'Cyanoacrylate' adhesives which works well with EPP foam and give a light weight bonding than bulky heavy hot glue. FYI lots of people cut corner by using hot glue to save time and hassle but i wouldn't recommend it because final assembly produced very heavy build due to large chunks of heavy goo to create such bonding. Plus they don't really tolerate well with heat under the sun and might melt again which consequently un-bonding the model assembly.  The super glue i'm using is ALTECO 110 'Cyanoacrylate' adhesives, requires about 7x tubes to complete the build.  Take note that this glue however not recommended to use on EPO foam especially EPS foam because it will 'eat' the foam like melting acid. 

The build procedure is straight forward, just follow the manual book and its good to go till the end.  The manual written is very professional and easily understood rather than disoriented 'Chinglish' instruction which is common in other cheap kit, this give a good impression that DANCING WINGS HOBBY company are very serious and being professional with their products.  Overall the documentation quality is on par with other products brand such as the TECHONE and FMS models.  The only part of the manual instruction that i didn't follow which i think 'not necessary' was the suggestion to put extra angle and off-set to the motor mount and the recommended throw angle to all the surface control.  The motor mount angle i setup on my Eagle is straight with no off-set.  The manual did mention to add an angle trust and off-set to the motor mount but i think its not necessary unless you like to push full throttle during hand launch which causes 'torque roll' due to spinning propeller inertial mass. Note that the servo place holder on the main wings doesn't fit well on standard 9g size servo like the generic HEXTRONIC HXT900 or TOWER PRO MG90S.  I have to use sharp pen knife to carve and remove small chunks of EPP foam material out from the main wing so i could fit the mentioned servo.  That was the only 'have to do' minor mods to get the fitting right.  Based on my experience flying anything with big surface control its always a good practice to use metal geared servo to avoid servo gear tooth from stripping dues to load from deflecting the air flow.  The size of aileron surface and V-tail control is bigger than observed on normal glider almost as if its build for fast response aerobatic planes or flaps like but not...so its obvious a metal gear servo is a must have on this Eagle. As for the surface flight control on the Aileron and V-tail mix i setup as slightly 15%~20% less stick throw to reduce control sensitivity and make the overall control docile/tame enough to fly as moderate glider like maneuver rather than aggressive acrobatic  like maneuverability.  My V-tail placement is not exactly 90 degree apart each other as instructed by the manual but closer to 110 degree angle.  Some builder in the R/C forum community opt for 120 degree and flew ok.

The build took me 7 hours to complete including the time for the super glue to dry its bonding with EPP and Balsa wood parts. Total weight of my built including 3s 2200mah 40C lipo battery onboard was 590g.  I've try my best to reduce the weight by trimming the ESC's power and motor wires and removing the bullet connector through direct soldering between ESC and motor.   Despite using Cyanoacrylate super glue as lightweight solution to bond all parts of EPP fuselage, main wings and balsa wood skeletal reinforcement only the V-tail wing surface attachment have to use a dab of strong clump of epoxy goo to bond  with the fuselage tail end because i don't think the flimsy Cyanoacrylate super glue is enough to hold the immense stress of the elevator G-pull when the model is gliding through rough wind once in the air.  At first the GWS styled 9x4 DD propeller is attached to the TOWER PRO 2409-18A 1000kv Brushless Outrunner shaft via prop saver (rubber band) but at later stage before second day of the flight the prop saver was removed and opt for direct solid bolt-in attachment to reduce wobble, vibration and noise as observed during maiden flight on the first day.  Since i'm very always good at hand catch during landing and no probability of nose dive into the ground prop saver no longer needed.  Btw GWS 9x4 DD propeller has been through 'balancing' build by adding small patch of tape on one of the unbalance prop blade for less vibration and smoother prop spin thus reduce current amp consumption.

The radio unit i'm using is FLYSKY FS-I6X unit pair with FS-IA6B receiver which is ideal for this model because not only its affordable but also support many data telemetry function most importantly the module voltage sensor (CVT01) which give real time information how much voltage i have left during flight before needed to land the plane.  The voltage alarm on my radio will trigger to warn me that its time to land.  Traditionally R/C aircraft modeler would add voltage alarm module on board the model which give audible sound when the battery reaches its limit but pilot would have to fly close by through low passes to be able to hear the sound.  Second method would use timer to estimate when needed to land before the battery hit low.  Since the Eagle will be flying at high altitude and remain at that altitude for longer period any onboard voltage alarm will no be audible to be heard by the ground pilot and using timer is not efficient way to optimized full use of the battery capacity of the Eagle.  Which is why the voltage sensor module capable of sending data to the radio as telemetry data is the ideal way to maximized more air time without needing to land and re-check the battery voltage level.  Not only the FS-I6X radio loaded with useful telemetry data and being  extremely affordable but also extremely light and portable when holding in hands which means less fatigue when holding the radio controller when standing long period under the sun especially when flying beyond 60 minutes.  Based on my experience using this radio that runs on 2.4Ghz AFHDS 2 protocol i never had signal lost or any serious issues. It seems to have very robust radio signal since it runs on diversity antenna on the transmitter after upon internal inspection. FLSKY technology has mature since after the last vulnerable old AFHDS version 1.  Below are are the radio setup for all my stick control on FS-I6X radio.

Radio surface control setup

• Aileron Expo:  +50
• Elevator Expo:  +50
• Rudder Expo:  0
• Aileron EPA:  80%
• Elevator:  80%
• Rudder EPA:  100%

* Note:
+ Throttle EPA, EXPO remain default from controller setup/stock setup.
+ No dual rate on all surface control.

The Center Gravity is spot on at 60mm from leading edge of the wing as mentioned on the manual book. I just have to shift and slide the position of the 3s 2200mah 40C battery located in front of the wings and behind the motor mount right on the fuselage nose.   Once it got it right then i put the supplied sticky Velcro on the battery and the compartment floor so weight won't shift about that could implicate the CG position during flight.

Flight performance

My first maiden flight was a 'perfection' with no technical nor piloting issue. With just moderate 60% throttle to fill the tug on my hand and light hand launched the eagle flew off my hand without struggle or stalling down. Few seconds of stick control trim on the radio the Eagle flew like on rail even it was maidened on very windy day as shown on my Eagle maiden video below this page.   My tips/advice for first timer hand launching the Eagle is not to full force throttle the stick beyond 70% as it will cause 'torque roll' twist the whole fuselage on the direction of the spinning propeller causing it to dart to the ground as seen on many Youtube videos.  Spin lightly and throw slightly 5~10 degree up lightly towards the head wind and it will float like a kite.  Once its started moving forward slowly (softly) and linearly pull the throttle to advance.... this is the trick not to get into 'torque roll' which i learn operating huge propeller planes on Warbirds models especially on the notorious F4U CORSAIR. Below are my radio stick trimming during its maiden flight.

My maiden flight trim:

• Aileron trim:  8 ~ 10 click to the right
• Elevator:  4 ~ 5 click nose down.

*Note:  Trim setup may varies on different people setup due to differences in push rod installation, servo push rate, surface control angle, model distribution weight, torque roll factor, center gravity and wind factor during flight.

Once in the air and the trim completed the Eagle flew flawlessly like a well behaved 'beginners' glider.  With its huge dihedral wing tip it seems to assist well in balancing itself without much  struggle to catch up with aileron control, it always tries to keep itself upright.  Even at almost no wind condition it still able to hover well between 20%-30% throttle forward  but when banking or yaw will need additional +5% thrust to avoid stalling.  Speaking of stall rate the Eagle seem to have low rate of stall meaning if it should stall to it side it doesn't simply fall immediately into uncontrollable spiral to the ground, i was able to recover immediately through hard aileron and elevator pull with combination of moderate thrust.  Overall any stall moment is much easy to recover on the eagle than on normal dihedral glider.   The control response on the aileron felt very soggy and dampens which is common traits of a glider with dihedral wing tips. The elevator and rudder control however felt more responsive and have huge authority on overall flight maneuver; it could perform sharp yaw turn  and quick nose up/down response through its V-tail mixing control which explain why many Eagle model owner prefer running with just V-tail control and no aileron on main wings for simplicity as discussed in R/C community forum. 

Here's one of the characteristic i like about this Eagle more than any plane i have inside my hangar; it loves to climb!.   I notice that this Eagle is a great altitude climber without putting much effort on the throttle provided it flies towards the head wind.  On this Eagle when the wind is at the right spot you don't have to necessary push throttle to waste battery power climbing up, just nudge the elevator nose up bit by bit at random interval and it will climb like a steps effortlessly.  The method of gaining altitude is very similar like flying a kite; tug the line a bit and release it then it will float higher and higher...this is also true with the Eagle, just a little tug on the elevator control it will climb higher.   Just like flying a kite its take timing and knowing the direction of the wind to gain altitude without much throttle power on the propeller.   Overall the Eagle does feel like flying a kite rather than an R/C plane which make flying it more curious and exciting.

However the aerobatic performance on Eagle was a bit poor. When doing common tricks such as performing 'Aileron roll' its a struggle and not recommended if you're not good at it.  It could do it but a bit slow response even when full throttle being applied to make the aileron responsive because the nature of having dihedral wing dampens its ability to perform any of those tricks at fast reflex.  When i have to do it i have to climb at higher altitude to reduce margin of error but more likely it ended up doing half roll and quickly bail out when it started to stall.  The good news is it can perform 'Barrel roll', very sharp narrow 'Loop' and inverted flight easily like a quick snap roll through its V-tail surface control. 

The Eagle plane is very easy to fly in all condition even better and much fun when there's heavy wind and thermal spot for soaring.   Its not a fast flyer like a racer even if you wanted to throttle at max stick....i felt its a waste of battery power just pull throttle during the flight. On the flip side it can do a quick, fast and smooth dive like a real eagle.  From my point of view the Eagle definitely much suitable for those who love to relax their thumbs stick and enjoy breezy windy day just gliding and soaring about into the head winds and going high altitude without struggle to determine the orientation when it turns into shadow in front of bright skies and blue horizon.  When i flew it it felt more exactly like flying a kite than than a glider with additional advantages of huge amount of runtime.  The problem is the R/C pilot more likely to run out of steam felt pruned under the sun before the model's battery runs out of power.  I guess this Eagle is a great beach vacation R/C plane for picnic beside the seaside or anything under breezy day.  Comparing all the glider i've own and flown before such as the BIXLERs, SKY SURFER, HK AXN floater jet, vintage HK 1600m FPV RAPTOR composite glider and huge number of slope soaring wings/combat wings the EAGLE II seem to be much better at giving R/C pilot chances to 'space out' not putting much attention when flying and enough time to correct their flight error on their stick control if 'Opps' moment happens.  That means its no so overwhelmed to fly the Eagle when trouble struck such as flying in bad weather, can't find place to land, sudden stall, almost hitting a tree or one of the servo failed...all you need is a good stick handling skills on the radio controller to recover from problem. Speaking of failed servos i have an incident where just one aileron servo is working while three other was not working during hand launched but fortunately it manage to glide down safely with just one aileron servo working.  The fault was loose connection due to wire being tugged.  Nice to know the Eagle just float down like a mild falling leaf with just half control.

As easy as hand launched, hand catch during landing is very easy too if you don't want scratches under the Eagle belly when landing on the ground. Just try fly slow towards you at 'hovering' throttle, 1 seconds before reaching your hand cut the throttle and swiftly grab by the root side leading edge of the wing and that's it. The eagle is slow enough and safe not to feel like its charging dangerously towards you just to be able to grab by hand.  Just make sure to cut the throttle immediately and stay away from the propellers. I felt this Eagle is far more easier to hand catch than any models i own in the hangar.

The flight runtime/endurance is amazing on 3s 2200mah 40 lipo battery; flying into the head wind with fluctuating throttle throw between 50 to 60% give an impressive 60 minutes of flight time (average) before it hitting 10.7V low on my voltage sensor.  I think i can fly for another extra 30 minutes (total 90 min) before hitting 10.1V.   If the the eagle went into powerless slope soaring  on steep cliff side like most slope model enthusiast do the Eagle can fly for whole day!  Unfortunately after spending almost 3 hours flying the eagle at the seaside with just 2x packs of 3s 2200mah lipo battery packs my tiring body and neck decide to throw in the towel and head for home spending just 80% of the battery capacity. Remind myself to bring sun tan lotion.

When it comes to transporting and storing the Eagle it seems much bigger than anticipated...much bigger than my 1400mm FMS P-51D Mustang by wingspan length and width making it quite handful to put it at the back seat of the sedan car.  The soft EPP wingtips already touch both side of the sedan car door.  However at 590gram full flight weight with battery onboard its light enough to carry around.  Storing in my hangar is enough to consume the whole space in horizontal length.  The wings can be disassembled from the fuselage since its just held by two criss-crossed rubber band but still looks large due to its wings size.  Due to frequent transporting in and out of the hangar to back of my car and to the airfield most damages are inflicted on the outer most of the leading edge of the wing which looked like imitation of Eagle's angular elbow which is made from thin fragile EPP foam started to cracked on first day.  This easily fixed with a dab of 'Cyanoacrylate' super glue to bond the crack. Ironically i never had any crack, scratches, scabs, dents or visual damages during take-off, in the air or landing.  Its always have been damaged during transporting and storing....this also happens a lot on my other fragile plane models with bigger wingspans.  If you're driving a compact K-car (Kei car) or bike the 1430mm Eagle can be a challenging to hold on to before reaching to your flying site, just make sure not to crack part of the EPP foam.

Throughout many days flying the Eagle i felt i'm flying a kite rather than the feel of flying an R/C plane aka a glider.  It does felt like a slope soaring plane if there is an adequate wind and thermal assist near the seaside.  The overall appearance looking the model in the skies skew more into flying  a bird rather than a plane which encourage me to circle around and mimic the flight maneuver of an actual eagle rather than high speed low passes or flipping 360 like an aerobatic plane.  This give me more enjoyment try to simulate the flight of a real eagle and felt more on mother nature side than having mentality of piloting a plane model.    The extremely incredible battery runtime and relaxing slow flying pace glide around into blue horizon allows me to hang around more at the flying site enjoyed the view and also get huge amount of attention from public spectator and curious animal a like.

Realism and attention seeking factor

Obviously at closer view the Eagle doesn't have any 'aesthetic' value to admire at first.  With its crude 'non-organic' boxy shape fuselage and polygonal like wings the eagle is like huge flying cardboard box when its on the ground or held by hand.  But once it took flight 20 meter away from the ground the crude outlines of the eagle becomes blurred. Soften by the basking ray of sun and its blue horizon making it overall appearance almost like a real eagle flying nearby. Soaring high above into the blue flying in circling flight patterns,  the spreading feathered dihedral wing tip and its brownish with white feathered texture under the wings and fuselage make its looks so realistic to assume that was a real eagle flying above everyone.

Many passerby and public spectator on the ground who witness this model during the flight mistakenly thought it was a real eagle flying above them and was thrill by its presence.  The most affected audience who intimidated by the appearance was the surrounding animals; during flight i do notice the local birds seems to make much noise as my 'fake' eagle hover over their habitat. Some bird will flew away, around or sometimes flying in tandem to inspect if it was a real eagle.  Real local eagle too intimidated by the presence of my fake eagle thinking it has encroached  into their territory.  Overall this 'flying fake news' does make a huge fuzz around people and animal.  If you interest to flying something that turns heads among the crowds 100% then this DW HOBBY EAGLE II is the real deal.

If it got into trouble with other birds being chase or attacked at the Eagle can easily out run them through it sharp rudder yaw and elevator maneuverability to escape the crowds... if you have the skill.  Although its a fun and entertaining 'Eagle' model to please the crowd R/C pilot should not use it to intimidate or threatens the local animal population especially local birds as it pose threat to their natural habitat. As shown though it capability in social media such as Youtube the Eagle does pose much 'visual' threats and intimidation.

 
Videos/Medias
Here are sample of video of  i posted on my Youtube channel contain fun flying my DANCING WINGS HOBBY Eagle II

• Product gallery (mixed with my other planes):  DANCING WINGS HOBBY Eagle II - 1430mm
  • Video: Dancing Wings Hobby - EAGLE II 1430mm Marina Wind
  • Video: Dancing Wings Hobby - EAGLE II 1430mm Hot Beach Day
  • Video: Dancing Wings Hobby - EAGLE II 1430mm sea soaring
  • Video: Dancing Wings Hobby - EAGLE II 1430mm build & maiden

Vendor/seller
Here are list of reputable vendor/seller which i bought from and also verified by community forum discussion groups. Also i've experienced buying from these places that have good support and services:

1. Seller Banggood.com:  Dancing Wings Hobby DW E19 Eagle V2 1430mm Wingspan EPP
2. Seller Banggood.com:  Dancing Wings Hobby DW Eagle EPP Mini Slow Flyer 1200mm Wingspan



Support group/articles:
Places where you can find help and resources related to this product:
RCgroups discussion group - EPP Real Eagle from Dancing Wings Hobby (for 1430mm wingspan):  https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?2129155-EPP-Real-Eagle-from-Dancing-Wings-Hobby
RCgroups discussion group - Dancing Wings EPP Mini Eagle (for 1200mm wingspan):  https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?3086277-Dancing-Wings-EPP-Mini-Eagle

 

Summary

Before i got the DW HOBBY EAGLE II (E19) i don't always hang around at the beach a lot because there is not much proper space to fly all my favorite plane; the sand will trapped my landing gear, the sunset will 'shadow' my planes orientation and there's not much space to take-off/land when curious spectator crowded the ground.  Also hampered the fact that 8~12 minutes flight time on 'scaled' R/C plane is too early to go part ways from the beautiful breath taking venue...i would like to hang around and basking more hours at this place.  A glider like my AXN Floater Jet or BIXLER used to be my best 'beach hangout' planes...was... but still cumbersome to land in crowded places also pounded with short runtime too....and started to get boring too.  After the EAGLE II joined my hangar it was most exhilarating plane to fly above the seaside plus its a crowd pleaser!  It has that weird but special feeling that i flew something more special that just a plane model.....its an eagle!   "Look Dad/Mom!  Its an eagle!!" shouted by young ones at it pointed high above the skies and the crowd started to take pictures and post it at social media.  That's the best daily compliments i heard from some crowds nearby whenever i fly the Eagle.  Yeah i love that attention, it motivates me to fly more and enjoy the scene.  As the local nature population; the birds doesn't seems to impress at all, lol.  Sometimes i don't mind if another real eagle dance a long but i make sure my eagle doesn't threatens local animal habitat by flying solo high in the skies.  Overall experience the EAGLE II make's R/C flying more interesting and unpredictable at all times.

So the question; is the DW HOBBY - EAGLE II is for everyone?  Yes especially for beginners and intermediate level R/C pilot who have flown their first plane and do think making this Eagle as their second plane.  The reasons why it should be their second plane rather than their first time plane is because because its EPP fuselage construction and thin balsa wood skeletal frame wouldn't able to handle nose first crash  and may easily broken on first moderate impact. Even if broken parts can be fixed but the added glue bonding, epoxy  works and extra reinforcement patch will added much weight and affect the overall flight characteristic.  So if you're a beginner and intermediate R/C pilot make sure you know how to take-off and land by hand first 'perfectly' before getting the 'Eagle II' even its known as a docile flyer.  Among crowds of professional R/C pilot especially scaler 'purist' i've met many wouldn't enjoy the Eagle simply because its just too simple and less challenging but the best argument among all comments was 'it looks like an animal'.  However some unique crowds like myself who flown R/C airplane models of many types and class see the 'Eagle II' as 'refreshing', 'exhilarating' and new experience because it really get me back to the root of enjoying an R/C plane. Its all about just being out there to enjoy 'flying' and catch the winds rather than putting so much stress how to make flying looks  a 'perfection' and 'standardized' to meet strict expectation as seen in crowds of scale civilian plane, warbirds, jets and aerobatic enthusiast.  You know that feeling as a kid when you flew your first kite and the wind started to pick it up?.....you felt happy and exciting right?  That's it!.. just leaning on the grass all day watching the kite floating high with a beautiful backdrop of clouds and blue skies while tugging kite through small threads to keep it fly higher and higher.  That's the stuff i used to enjoy outdoor when i was a kid in the 80's. Same feeling with the 'Eagle' today...it made me smile and young again.  Its all about catching the winds!   On the second day, that night i bought myself another same DW HOBBY - EAGLE II backup because i know its the best fun plane i ever had. Since its just USD$35 why not..hehehe!

DW HOBBY produced 2x variants of EAGLE; the 1430mm wingspan and 1200mm wingspan.  I would recommend people to buy the larger 1430mm version because it could tolerate more flight error during first maiden and handle better with the wind without feeling less twitchy on the controls.  Most i've seen people who crashed their eagle on Youtube video were on 1200mm wingspan size because of very sensitive CG placement compare the larger ones.  Another extra note that the differences in prices between two different sizes of Eagle is just between USD$1 or USD$2  apart which is justify you should better go for bigger ones rather than spending more money and time to repair smaller models should you crash it.  If you're an experience pilot and not much being butter finger during hand launched crashing the eagle is nearly impossible.

If you've been reading and followed my trails you knew the HK Pitts Special park flyer model was my best daily 'go to' flyer to flip around 360 or float all the in the wind for many years...but now the EAGLE II is my best favorite 'go to' plane to fly at the beach.  When put them into ranks the Pitts will be my first choice and the Eagle will be second but both will go together behind my sedan back seat whenever i go out to fly since both cater different need and flying style.  The Pitts are great for adrenaline challenging stunts/radical aerobatics while the Eagle is a great relaxing and breezy flight to while enjoy the horizon views.  2x packs of 3s 2200mah lipo battery on EAGLE II is enough to full my day to the brim!  Although i have and flown all the coolest R/C plane in my hangar but overall i must say although the Eagle II plane looks cheap and simple it was the best 'mind' relaxing, enjoyable and exhilarating plane to fly throughout my entire R/C flying hobby....well maybe my age catch up with me, lol!